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Q and A

By Carl Sommers

Published: June 14, 1992

Religious Hostelries in Paris

Q. Are there convents or monasteries in Paris where visitors can stay cheaply? -- Virginia Ginty, Bayside, Queens

A. There are a number of convents and monasteries in or near Paris that accept guests who wish to take part in a religious retreat -- prayer and counseling, dining with the religious community, perhaps periods of silence -- rather than merely wanting inexpensive lodging. However, a few religious organizations (in France this almost always means Catholic) around Paris operate guesthouses, called foyers or accueils. A list of of religious organizations that offer guesthouses and retreats throughout France can be found in the Guide St.-Christophe. It is available for 100 francs (about $19), from Association St.-Christophe, 277 Rue St. Jacques, 75005 Paris, France.

One religious guesthouse in Paris, Foyer Friedland, run by the Peres du St.-Sacrement, accepts short-term visitors in a 19th-century building with a chapel, in the 16th arrondissement. Contact Foyer Friedland, 23 Avenue de Friedland, 75016 Paris, France, telephone 40.76.30.30. Direct correspondence to Mr. Delpuech. A simple room for two costs $47, including breakfast. (Additional meals are $8.50 a person.) Rooms can be rented by the month for $538, with breakfast.

In Issy-les-Moulineaux, just over the southwest border of Paris, the Accueil St.-Paul accepts guests in a former seminary set in a garden. A double room is $25, including breakfast and dinner. Guests must be members of the Association St.-Paul, a charity organization. Membership is about $1.90, and guests can join on arrival. Reservations are made by telephone only: (33 1) 45.29.16.06. No English is spoken.

About two miles south of Paris in Bagneux, the Maison Diocesaine les Marronniers, operated by priests, is a mansion set in a large park. It accepts guests all year except Christmas and Easter, for about $28 a person including breakfast. Contact: 6 Rue Pablo-Neruda, 9220 Bagneux, France, (33 1) 43.50.53.30. Bullfights in Spain

Q. When and where are the best places to see a bullfight in Spain? -- Anne D. Stanton, Cambridge, Mass.

A. New spectators of bullfights react with revulsion, fascination or, probably most commonly, a combination of the two, and many condemn bullfighting as brutal. There are bullfights throughout the summer in practically all cities and in many towns in Spain; every city is covered with posters advertising the next bullfight. But the top bullfighters -- and bulls, as the quality of the event is determined by the animals as well -- appear in cities that are the sites of major summertime festivals. The first major fair of the season, the Fallas de San Jose, takes place in Valencia March 12 to 19. Next is Seville, for two weeks following Easter. In Madrid the San Isidro Festival takes place May 12 to 30. During the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, July 6 to 14, there is not only the daily running of the bulls in the streets, but top-flight bullfighting as well. In the first week of August, Malaga is the site of good bullfighting during the Feria de Malaga, and in mid-August, the scene switches to Bilbao for the Semana Grande, which begins Aug. 16 this year. Prices for seats range roughly from $15 for the cheapest in the sun -- less desirable because of the heat -- to $50 for the best in the shade. Prices will also vary by city and according to who is fighting that day.

When in Spain, you might look at a bullfighting periodical for schedules and carteles, lineups of matadors scheduled to fight and the name of the ranch from which the bulls will come. Two magazines are Seis Toros Seis, a monthly, and Aplausos, a weekly. Three of the most celebrated bullfighters are Cesar Rincon, Ortega Cano and Espartaco (Juan Antonio Ruiz, from the town of Espartinas near Seville). Highly regarded bull ranches are Miura, Pablo Romero, Alonso Moreno and Maria Luisa; even if you don't know the names of the matadors, the presence of bulls from these places is likely to mean good bullfighting. Indian Palace on Wheels

Q. I would like information about accommodations aboard the Indian train called the Palace on Wheels. Does each room have its own bath? -- Michael J. Posig, Bergenfield, N.J.

A. Until this past fall, the Palace on Wheels train was made up of private cars that once belonged to maharajahs. However, the cars were suffering from wear and were replaced by new, air-conditioned ones. Each of the train's 13 cars has four cabins, each with two berths and a seat that can convert to a third berth, but no private bath. In each car is a compartment with two toilets and two showers. Each car also has a lounge.

The Palace on Wheels makes tours of seven nights and eight days beginning and ending in New Delhi, with the train traveling at night and passengers sightseeing during the day. The tour leaves New Delhi each Wednesday; passengers arrive at 7:30 for dinner on board, and the train leaves 8:45 P.M., arriving at Chittaurgarh the following morning. Other stops include Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharapur, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra. From October through March, the price is $1,400 a person, based on two in a compartment, which includes all meals (generally breakfast, tea and dinner on the train and lunch at the cities visited), sightseeing and bus transportation. In April, August and September, the price is $1,225 a person. There is no service in other months.

Reservations for the Palace on Wheels can be made through travel agents or from these companies:

Journeyworld, 119 West 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019, (800) 635-3900 or (212) 752-8308. There is a service charge of $175 for arrangements.

Tours of Distinction, 141 East 44th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017; (800) 888-8634. There is a service charge of $450.

Q. I will be in Cambridge Bay, Northwest Territories, Canada, next month. What is the range of temperatures and likelihood of rain? -- Martin Koenig, Brooklyn

A. July is the warmest month in the Northwest Territories. In the northern part of the territories, above the Arctic Circle, say, Cambridge Bay, the average daily high is in the low 50's and the low is in the mid-30's; temperatures have gotten up into the mid-70's and down to the low 20's in July. There is an average of seven days of precipitation, with only 0.7 inches total. (By comparison, New York has 10 rainy days, with a total of 3.3 inches.) Whenever cold air is drawn from the polar regions, snow is possible, even in summer.

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